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Tag Archives: Marketing your book on Twitter

Converting your Twitter followers into buyers only happens if you interact with them the right way. Twitter is all about engagement. You need to become familiar to them, so they feel connected with you and your work, because you both love the same things… and then they buy your books.

Isn’t this exactly the same sentiment shared here by author and graphic artist Karen Gadient just a few days ago?

The lesson for us is that all social media is exactly that: SOCIAL media. An author is successful in using social media to market books when the author makes the connection to the reader first, then markets as an afterthought or by-product of the personal connection.

It’s a tough balancing act. The emphasis needs to be on making new acquaintances or connections with another human being surrounding shared interests. Otherwise, we abuse our readers. Get pushy with the selling, and we may send our readers to other websites.

Since I will soon have a novel to sell, it’s a personal lesson I need to remember. And if I forget and start selling more than “friending,” please kick me in the seat of the pants rather than silently disappearing.

Readers Can Be Found By Using Twitter Search

The method is to type into Twitter’s search panel certain words and phrases that readers of your fiction genre might be using in their Tweets. Doing a few of these searches will start to reveal readers of that fiction genre in significant numbers.

Then just go through the search results and follow those readers that you feel belong to your book genre, based on what they say in their Tweets. Many of them will follow you back.

Here are three suggested search methods: 1: Search using the names of successful authors in your fiction genre.

This approach finds the readers of successful authors in the same genre as you.

This search will reveal readers in the YA fiction genre, because many of the Tweets will clearly be from people Tweeting about their “Lemony Snicket” reading experience.

Simply go through the search results and pick out the users who are obviously YA readers in your genre. Click on the names you like, and their profile will pop up – then click each one to follow them. (The idea being that many of them will follow you back.)

Note: When searching, remember to click the “All” link at the top so you can see all the Tweets that include a particular phrase, not just the most popular.

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This blog records the journey I am taking from novice dreamer to professional author. This is a learning place and a sharing place. I'll share expert opinion as well as my own insights. Sometimes I'll trip up. Other times I'll make a big splash. I hope you will fill in the e-mail option and follow along. It is always more fun to travel the writer's road with friends.

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